Samsung Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY & CHOICES – UPDATE: We have updated our privacy policy as of February 10, 2015 to make it more clear and readable. Please take a few minutes to review it.

SAMSUNG PRIVACY POLICY HIGHLIGHTS

Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to any Samsung device, website or online application that refers to or links to the Privacy Policy (collectively, our “Services”). The Privacy Policy applies regardless of whether you use a computer, mobile phone, tablet, TV, or other device to access our Services. Learn More

Information We Collect

We collect various types of information in connection with the Services, including:

Information you provide directly to us;

Information we collect about your use of our Services; and

Information we obtain from third-party sources.

We may also seek your consent to collect information not described in the Privacy Policy. Learn More

Use and Sharing of Information

We use the information we collect (and may combine it with other information about you) to, among other things:

Provide the Services you request;

Understand the way you use the Services so that we can improve your experience; and

Provide customized content and advertising.

We also use the information we collect in ways described to you at the point of collection, or otherwise with your consent.

We may share your information with:

Affiliates—the Samsung family of companies.

Business partners—trusted companies that may provide information about products and services you might like.

Service providers—companies that provide services for or on behalf of Samsung.

Law enforcement—when we are required to do so or to protect Samsung and its users.

How to Contact Us

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and our affiliates [ (“Samsung,” “we,” “us,” “our”) know how important privacy is to our customers, and we strive to be clear about how we collect, use, disclose, transfer and store your information. This Privacy Policy provides an overview of our information practices. The Privacy Policy applies to Samsung devices, websites or online applications that refer to or link to the Privacy Policy (collectively, our “Services”).

While this Privacy Policy applies to all our Services, we also have provided certain specific privacy supplements that contain additional information about our practices in connection with particular Services. These supplements apply to your use of the Services they cover. Additional consent will be obtained for certain data processing activities.

Please note that the Privacy Policy applies to your usage of Samsung devices (which are among the Services covered by this Privacy Policy, along with our websites and online applications). It also applies regardless of whether you use a computer, mobile phone, tablet, TV, or other device to access our Services. It is important that you read the Privacy Policy carefully because anytime you use our Services, you consent to the practices we describe in the Privacy Policy and the supplements. If you do not agree to the practices described in the Privacy Policy, you should not use our Services.

It also is important that you check back often for updates to the Privacy Policy. If we update the Privacy Policy we will let you know about changes we consider to be material by placing a note on relevant Services. By accessing or using our Services after we have placed such a notice, you consent to the new practice(s) identified in the update. The most current version of the Privacy Policy will always be available on Samsung.com [www.samsung.com/us/common/privacy.html]. You can check the “effective date” posted at the top to see when the Privacy Policy was last updated.

Samsung Privacy Policy

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU?

Information you provide directly

Some Services enable you to give us information directly. For example:

A number of our Services enable users to create accounts or profiles. In connection with these Services, we may ask you to provide certain information about yourself to set up the account or profile. For example, you can submit certain information about yourself, such as your name and email address, when you create a Samsung Account.

If you order a product or paid service from us, we may ask for your name, contact information, shipping and billing address(es), and credit card information in order to process your order.

Some of our Services enable you to communicate with other people. Those communications will be transmitted through and stored on our systems.

Information about your use of the Services

In addition to the information you provide, we may collect information about your use of our Services through software on your device and other means. For example, we may collect:

Device information—such as your hardware model, IMEI number and other unique device identifiers, MAC address, IP address, operating system version, and settings of the device you use to access the Services.

Log information—such as the time and duration of your use of the Service, search query terms you enter through the Services, and any information stored in cookies that we have set on your device.

Location information—such as your device’s GPS signal or information about nearby WiFi access points and cell towers that may be transmitted to us when you use certain Services.

Voice information—such as recordings of your voice that we make (and may store on our servers) when you use voice commands to control a Service. (Note that we work with a third-party service provider that provides speech-to-text conversion services on our behalf. This provider may receive and store certain voice commands.)

Other information—about your use of the Services, such as the apps you use, the websites you visit, and how you interact with content offered through a Service.

Information from third-party sources

We may receive information about you from publicly and commercially available sources (as permitted by law), which we may combine with other information we receive from or about you. We also may receive information about you from third-party social networking services when you choose to connect with those services.

Other Information We Collect

We also may collect other information about you, your device, or your use of the services in ways that we describe to you at the point of collection or otherwise with your consent.

You can choose not to provide us with certain types of information (e.g., information we request during Samsung Account registration), but doing so may affect your ability to use some Services.

for advertising, such as providing customized advertisements and sponsored content (including through our advertising service, AdHub, whose practices you can learn more about here) and sending you promotional communications;

for assessment and analysis of our market, customers, products, and services (including asking you for your opinions on our products and services and carrying out customer surveys);

to conduct free prize drawings, prize competitions or promotions, as permitted by law; and

otherwise with your consent.

We may combine information we collect from you and use it for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy. We may request your additional consent with respect to such combination. After you have consented to such information combination, you will be given the opportunity to disable such combination either through the settings menus of certain applicable devices or by visiting here[https://account.samsung.com/membership/service/dataCombination.do].

To whom do we disclose your information?

We will not disclose your information to third parties for their own independent marketing or business purposes without your consent. However, we may disclose your information to the following entities:

Business Partners. We also may share your information with trusted business partners, including wireless carriers. These entities may use your information to provide you with services you request (e.g., video content provided by Netflix through SmartTV), make predictions about your interests and may provide you with promotional materials, advertisements and other materials.

Service providers. We also may disclose your information to companies that provide services for or on behalf of us, such as companies that help us with billing or that send emails on our behalf. These entities are limited in their ability to use your information for purposes other than providing services for us.

Other Parties When Required by Law or as Necessary to Protect Our Services. There may be instances when we disclose your information to other parties:

to comply with the law or respond to compulsory legal process (such as a search warrant or other court order);

to verify or enforce compliance with the policies governing our Services; and

to protect the rights, property, or safety of Samsung, or any of our respective affiliates, business partners, or customers.

Other Parties in Connection With Corporate Transactions. We may disclose your information to a third party as part of a merger or transfer, or in the event of a bankruptcy.

Other Parties With Your Consent or At Your Direction. In addition to the disclosures described in this Privacy Policy, we may share information about you with third parties when you consent to or request such sharing.

Your Choices

We offer a variety of choices about how we use your information. You can make choices about whether to receive promotional communications from us by following the unsubscribe instructions included in the communication. In addition, you can also generally make choices in your settings , or by visiting relevant webpages as listed below;

with respect to targeted advertising that may interest you, for example by AdHub; and

with respect to choice for the combination of your information across services and devices for the purposes set out in the Privacy Policy.

And you may be able to make choices in specific Services or when we give you a just-in-time notice.

What do we do to keep your information secure?

We have put in place reasonable physical and technical measures to safeguard the information we collect in connection with the Services. However, please note that although we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no website, Internet transmission, computer system or wireless connection is completely secure.

Your California Privacy Rights

California residents are entitled once a year, free of charge, to request and obtain certain information regarding our disclosure, if any, of personally identifiable information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year (e.g., requests made in 2013 will receive information about 2012 sharing activities). We comply with this law by giving users the ability to tell us not to share personally identifiable information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, send an email to NAPrivacy@sea.samsung.com. We may need additional information to process your request.

Third-Party Links and Products on Our Services

Our Services may link to third-party websites and services that are outside our control. We are not responsible for the security or privacy of any information collected by websites or other services. You should exercise caution, and review the privacy statements applicable to the third-party websites and services you use.

We also may make available to you certain products or services (e.g., apps available through Samsung Apps) developed by third parties. Samsung is not responsible for these third-party products or services.

Third Parties that Provide Content, Advertising or Functionality on Our Services

Some of the content, advertising, and functionality on our Services may be provided by third parties that are not affiliated with us. For example:

We enable you to watch video content provided by companies such as Netflix through SmartTV;

Third parties develop apps that we make available through the Samsung App Store;

Certain third parties may serve advertising or keep track of which advertisements users see, how often they see those advertisements, and what users do in response to them; and

We enable you to share certain materials on the Services with others through social networking services such as Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and LinkedIn.

These third-parties may collect or receive certain information about your use of the Services, including through the use of cookies, beacons, and similar technologies, and this information may be collected over time and combined with information collected across different websites and online services. Some of these companies participate in industry-developed programs designed to provide consumers choices about whether to receive targeted advertising. Please visit the websites operated by the Network Advertising Initiative [http://networkadvertising.org] and Digital Advertising Alliance [http://www.daa.sg/] to learn more.

If you connect with a social networking service, we may receive and store authentication information from that service to enable you to log in, as well as other information that you allow us to receive when you connect with these services.

Also, please note that if you choose to connect with a social networking service on a device used by people in addition to you, those other users may be able to see information stored or displayed in connection with your account on the social networking service(s) with which you connect.

Children

We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of thirteen (13) without parental consent, unless permitted by law. If we learn that a child under the age of thirteen (13) has provided us with personal information, we will delete it in accordance with applicable law.

Cookies, Beacons and Similar Technologies

We, as well as certain third parties that provide content, advertising, or other functionality on our Services, may use cookies, beacons, and other technologies in certain areas of our Services.

Cookies

Cookies are small files that store information on your computer, TV, mobile phone or other device. They enable the entity that put the cookie on your device to recognize you across different websites, services, devices, and/or browsing sessions. Cookies serve many useful purposes. For example:

Cookies can remember your sign-in credentials so you don’t have to enter those credentials each time you log on to a service.

Cookies help us and third parties understand which parts of our Services are the most popular because they help us to see which pages and features visitors are accessing and how much time they are spending on the pages. By studying this kind of information, we are better able to adapt the Services and provide you with a better experience.

Cookies help us and third parties understand which ads you have seen so that you don’t receive the same ad each time you access a Service.

Cookies help us and third parties provide you with relevant content and advertising by collecting information about your use of our Services and other websites and apps.

When you use a web browser to access the Services, you can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is sent. Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. The operating system of your device may contain additional controls for cookies.

Please note, however, that some Services may be designed to work using cookies and that disabling cookies may affect your ability to use those Services, or certain parts of them.

Other Local Storage

We, along with certain third parties, may use other kinds of local storage technologies, such as Local Shared Objects (also referred to as “Flash cookies”) and HTML5 local storage, in connection with our Services. These technologies are similar to the cookies discussed above in that they are stored on your device and can be used to store certain information about your activities and preferences. However, these technologies may make use of different parts of your device from standard cookies, and so you might not be able to control them using standard browser tools and settings. For information about disabling or deleting information contained in Flash cookies, please click here.

Beacons

We, along with certain third parties, also may use technologies called beacons (or “pixels”) that communicate information from your device to a server. Beacons can be embedded in online content, videos, and emails, and can allow a server to read certain types of information from your device, know when you have viewed particular content or a particular email message, determine the time and date on which you viewed the beacon, and the IP address of your device. We and certain third parties use beacons for a variety of purposes, including to analyze the use of our Services and (in conjunction with cookies) to provide content and ads that are more relevant to you.

By accessing and using our Services, you consent to the storage of cookies, other local storage technologies, beacons and other information on your devices. You also consent to the access of such cookies, local storage technologies, beacons and information by us and by the third parties mentioned above.

Do Not Track Signals and Similar Mechanisms

Some web browsers may transmit “do-not-track” signals to the websites with which the user communicates, although web browsers incorporate and activate this functionality in different ways, and it is not always clear whether users intend for these signals to be transmitted. There currently is disagreement, including among participants in the leading Internet standards-setting organization, concerning what, if anything, websites should do when they receive such signals. Samsung currently does not take action in response to these signals, but, if and when a standard is established and accepted, we may reassess how to respond to these signals.

Further information

Key Terms

[Provide customized content and make recommendations]: We may use information we collect to provide you with customized content and make recommendations that are based in part on your past activities on our Services. For example, Samsung Hub provides you with recommendations about video, music, applications and third-party content that we think will interest you. Your SmartTV provides recommendations about video content you might like. Please visit the settings menu on your device or service for information about privacy choices you may have available to you in connection with these services.

[Improve them and develop new products and services]: We may use information we collect to understand the way you use the products and services we offer so that we can improve them and develop new products and services. For example, we may use this information to make better-informed decisions about the design of our devices and the selection of Samsung and third-party content that is accessible through our devices and services.

[Affiliates]: The term ‘affiliates’ refers to companies related to Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. by common ownership or control. Our affiliates include companies with the Samsung Electronics name, such as Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited. Affiliates may also include other companies related by common ownership or control, such as Samsung Information Systems America.

Samsung Global Privacy Policy--AdHub Supplement

Samsung’s AdHub service enables advertisers to reach Samsung users across various Samsung and third-party platforms, including the web, mobile devices, tablets, and TVs. Among other things, AdHub enables advertisers to send you advertisements that are customized based on information Samsung receives about you, your device, and your online activities.

We collect, use, share and store the information we receive through AdHub in the ways we describe in the Samsung Privacy Policy. The Privacy Policy applies to AdHub, but this Supplement provides additional details about AdHub’s privacy practices [and explains your choices with respect to those practices].

Information AdHub Collects

Device Information

When you use a Samsung service that includes ads provided by AdHub, AdHub receives certain information about your device. This information may include the device’s hardware model, IMEI number and other unique device identifiers, MAC address, IP address, operating system version, and settings.

In addition, the first time you visit a service that displays ads by AdHub, Ad Hub will assign your device a random ID number, which will be sent back to AdHub each time your device gets a new ad from AdHub. This allows AdHub to recognize your device across different websites or applications and serve you ads that are relevant to your needs and interests.

AdHub may collect some of this information using cookies, beacons and similar technologies. Please see the Samsung Privacy Policy for more information about how these work and how you can control their use.

Ad Information.

When AdHub displays an ad to you, AdHub logs the fact that your device received that ad, as well as the webpage or other place where you viewed it.

Information Shared with Third-Party Partners

AdHub may share information about the number of users who see particular ads (or ad campaigns) with our third-party partners. This information is shared in aggregate form only, meaning that no device information is shared with the advertiser.

Information Collected By Other Companies

Third-party advertisers may use web beacons in their ads in order to collect information about users who view their ads, including through cookies, beacons and similar technologies. Samsung does not control the data collection and use practices of these companies. Some of these companies participate in industry-developed programs designed to provide consumers choices about whether to receive targeted advertising. Please visit the websites operated by the Network Advertising Initiative [http://networkadvertising.org] and Digital Advertising Alliance [http://www.daa.sg/] to learn more.

Samsung Privacy Policy--SmartTV Supplement

Samsung makes available Internet-connected televisions and Blu-Ray players and other similar technologies that connect to your television set (collectively, the “SmartTV services” or “SmartTV”). Samsung’s SmartTV services offer features that may enhance video content, customized TV, movie, and other content recommendations, connections to social networking services, and the ability to control and interact with your SmartTV with gestures and voice commands. We collect, use, share, and store information through your SmartTV in the ways described in the Samsung Privacy Policy. This Supplement provides additional details about the privacy practices of some SmartTV features.

Recommendations and Customized Content

The SmartTV is designed to enable you to easily find and access video programming and other content. For example, you may access information about live television programs distributed to you by your cable or satellite operator and on-demand video content offerings distributed by third-party content providers through searchable guides displayed on your SmartTV.

In the case of live television programs, we determine what content is available to you based in part on your zip code. In addition, the SmartTV helps make the searchable guides and other SmartTV content more relevant to you by highlighting programming and content that is likely to interest you, such as episodes of programs that you may have missed and new programs, applications and other content that we believe you will find of interest. We base these recommendations on:

Information about content that you have watched, purchased, downloaded, or streamed through Samsung applications on your SmartTV or other devices;

Information about applications you have accessed through the SmartTV panels;

Information about your clicks on the “Like,” “Dislike,” “Watch Now,” and other buttons on your SmartTV;

The query terms you enter into SmartTV search features, including when you search for particular video content; and

Other SmartTV usage and device information, including, but not limited to, IP address, information stored in cookies and similar technologies, information that identifies your hardware or software configuration, browser information, and the page(s) you request.

In addition, if you enable the collection of information about video streams viewed on your SmartTV, we may collect that information and additional information about the network, channels, and programs that you view through the SmartTV. We will use such information to improve the recommendations that we deliver to you on the SmartTV.

Please visit the “settings” menu of your SmartTV for choices that may be available to you if you do not wish to continue to receive personalized recommendations on your SmartTV. If you disable personalized recommendations, then the information and content displayed on your SmartTV may not be as relevant to you. Samsung may still collect information about your usage of the SmartTV for the purposes described in this Samsung Privacy Policy.

SyncPlus and Interactive Marketing

By enabling SyncPlus or other marketing features, you may make the content and advertising that you receive on your SmartTV and other devices when you are watching SmartTV more interactive. TV programming providers or advertisers can enhance video programs by providing interactive content, such as in-program trivia, show insights, games, and promotions, on your SmartTV or other devices. Similarly, advertisers can enhance their ads by enabling users to take immediate action (e.g., downloading a coupon or app) in response to an ad.

To make these kinds of enhancements available, we provide video or audio snippets of the program you’re watching to third-party providers that use this information in order to return content or advertising “synched” to what you’re watching. These providers may receive information about your device (e.g., its IP address and device identifiers) and your interactions with the content and advertising they provide. You may disable these interactive marketing features at any time by visiting the “settings” menu. The choices you make with respect to interactive marketing features will not affect whether you receive other types of ads and marketing on your SmartTV.

Voice Recognition

You can control your Smart TV, and use many of its features, with voice commands.

If you enable Voice Recognition, you can interact with your Smart TV using your voice. To provide you the Voice Recognition feature, some interactive voice commands may be transmitted (along with information about your device, including device identifiers) to a third-party service provider (currently, Nuance Communications, Inc.) that converts your interactive voice commands to text and to the extent necessary to provide the Voice Recognition features to you. In addition, Samsung may collect and your device may capture voice commands and associated texts so that we can provide you with Voice Recognition features and evaluate and improve the features. Samsung will collect your interactive voice commands only when you make a specific search request to the Smart TV by clicking the activation button either on the remote control or on your screen and speaking into the microphone on the remote control.

If you do not enable Voice Recognition, you will not be able to use interactive voice recognition features, although you may be able to control your TV using certain predefined voice commands.

You may disable Voice Recognition data collection at any time by visiting the “settings” menu. However, this may prevent you from using some of the Voice Recognition features.

Gesture Controls and Facial Recognition

Your SmartTV is equipped with a camera that enables certain advanced features, including the ability to control and interact with your TV with gestures and to use facial recognition technology to authenticate your Samsung Account on your TV. The camera can be covered and disabled at any time, but be aware that these advanced services will not be available if the camera is disabled.

Gesture Control.To provide you with the ability to control your SmartTV through gestures, the camera mounted on the top of your SmartTV can recognize your movements. This enables you, for example, to move between panels and zoom in or zoom out. We record information about when and how users use gesture controls so that we can evaluate the performance of these controls and improve them.

Facial Recognition.The camera situated on the SmartTV also enables you to authenticate your Samsung Account or to log into certain services using facial recognition technology. You can use facial recognition instead of, or as a supplementary security measure in addition to, manually inputting your password. Once you complete the steps required to set up facial recognition, an image of your face is stored locally on your TV; it is not transmitted to Samsung. If you cancel your Samsung Account or no longer desire to use facial recognition, please visit the applicable settings menu to delete the stored image. While your image will be stored locally, Samsung may take note of the fact that you have set up the feature and collect information about when and how the feature is used so that we can evaluate the performance of this feature and improve it.

Fitness Services

To provide you with personalized fitness recommendations, SmartTV services enable you to create a profile that contains certain basic information about yourself, including your height, weight and date of birth. You can delete such a profile at any time by following the directions in the service’s preferences [or settings] screen.

Kids Services

SmartTV services may make available educational videos and other content appropriate for children, but we do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of thirteen (13) without parental consent, unless permitted by law. If we learn that a child under the age of thirteen (13) has provided us with personal information, we will delete it in accordance with applicable law.

Third Parties

Please note that when you watch a video or access applications or content provided by a third-party, that provider may collect or receive information about your SmartTV (e.g., its IP address and device identifiers), the requested transaction (e.g., your request to buy or rent the video), and your use of the application or service. Samsung is not responsible for these providers’ privacy or security practices. You should exercise caution and review the privacy statements applicable to the third-party websites and services you use.

Country-Specific Features

Please note that one or more of the features described in this SmartTV Supplement may not be available to you depending on where you live.